This is the official RU-vid channel for The Friends of the Elephant Seal in San Simeon, California. Our videos show life in the Piedras Blancas Northern Elephant Seal Rookery (estimated colony size 25,000) and reflect the excitement of watching these amazing marine mammals. The Friends of the Elephant Seal is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about elephant seals and other marine life and to teaching stewardship for the ocean off the central coast of California. We are a cooperating association with California State Parks. We offer 365-day, free viewing to the public at the Elephant Seal Viewing Area on Hwy 1, with knowledgeable docents onsite to share their knowledge and answer your questions. Visit our website at www.elephantseal.org or our Elephant Seal Visitor Center at 250 San Simeon Ave, San Simeon, CA for more information. Come back again soon!
Oh my goodness, poor things getting hammered by the waves. It's usually so peaceful. So glad everything turned out for mom and pup. Looking forward to seeing them next week.
Amazing how quickly that older male established dominance there. Maybe that younger guy has heard that bigger guy's vocalizations before and knows not to mess around with him.
Thanks for sharing your observations. That’s certainly possible. He was quite impressive, clearing the way without having to chase anyone down the beach!
@Friends of the Elephant Seal most of the pups are offspring of the alpha bull or beachmaster the rest of the pups are from the rest of the males and females
Most of them return to this rookery after each migration. Scientists have found that the dominant adult male bulls are faithful to a particular beach each time they arrive at the rookery.
That is the Fall haul- out. The youngest seals begin arriving in September and are on the beach until November. It’s the time to welcome back the “young of the year”-the weanlings who have survived their first migration.
Oh my God! I hardy breathed watching this. The process of the birth, the barking of mom, the opportunism of the seagulls... Such a dramatic scene. Hello baby!
The first birth is usually in early to mid- December, sometimes earlier. The majority of the births occur in late December to mid- January. Most births occur at night but if you are lucky you may see one in the early mornings on those days.
Thanks for watching the video. We see occasional dramatic fighting on the beach, among male seals during the breeding season and play fighting among juvenile seals in spring and fall. Many young seals are quite social, as weanlings and juvenile seals on the beach. In contrast, most of their time (8-10 months a year) is spent alone, at sea, deep underwater. Very different existence on land and at sea.
